F1 News: Nico Rosberg Reveals 'Very Painful' Secret Between Him and Lewis Hamilton

Former F1 champion Nico Rosberg disclosed on a podcast that both he and Lewis Hamilton were made to pay for damages incurred during crashes while teammates at Mercedes.

Former F1 champion Nico Rosberg disclosed on a podcast that he and teammate Lewis Hamilton were financially responsible for crash damages during their time at Mercedes. Admitting it was "painful" to part with so much money when their intense rivalry resulted in crashes, Rosberg stayed humble despite his incredible income.

Rosberg, the 2016 Formula One World Champion, has recently shed light on yet another layer of complexity in his contentious relationship with former teammate Lewis Hamilton. Speaking on the Business of Sport podcast, Rosberg revealed that during their tempestuous years together at Mercedes, both drivers were contracted to pay for damages incurred from their on-track collisions, a policy that was strictly enforced no matter who was at fault.

“Because Lewis and I crashed, the team ended up making us pay for the damage,” Rosberg explained. The financial repercussions for their clashes were significant, translating to an unusual form of accountability within the sport where drivers usually do not bear the cost of racing incidents directly from their pockets.

This revelation traces back to a series of notorious clashes between Rosberg and Hamilton, notably at Spa in 2014 and later in Barcelona and Spielberg in 2016. The intensity of these collisions led Mercedes to implement a contract for both drivers after the Barcelona incident. “We had to sign a contract that from now on, if we crash, no matter whose fault it is, we will pay for the damage,” Rosberg stated.

The financial stakes were high, with Rosberg recounting a particular instance costing him a steep £360,000 (~420,000 euros). “I remember how much I had to pay: that was 360,000 pounds (around 420,000 euros) that I shelled out for one of these accidents. That was very painful,” he admitted. This hefty sum undoubtedly added an extra layer of caution to their racing strategies. "After that, we definitely made sure that we wouldn't collide again," Rosberg affirmed.

Despite the financial burdens from these crashes, Rosberg’s career earnings were substantial. In 2016, he signed a lucrative 100 million euro contract over two years, although he retired shortly after winning his championship. “I had an existing contract for two more years, and if I just had continued for a few more years, it would have easily been 100 million,” he reflected.

Looking back on his earlier days, Rosberg shared a similar financial predicament from his Formula 2 career when he had to use his first significant paycheck to settle a racing-related debt. 

"As soon as the 80,000 were in my account, they were gone again because my father had taken out a loan to pay for an accident that I caused in Formula 2," admitted Rosberg. "That's where I got it crashed my car, destroyed the front wing and the front end - and that cost 80,000. "The goal back then was that we didn't have to pay for my racing ourselves, but rather finance it through sponsors. But of course that didn't include the big crash.

"So we had to borrow money from the bank and the first salary went straight back there to cover that."